Blinded by Love: To Buy or Not To Buy?

[lalalaura107]

Hey y’all,

I need a second (and third, and fourth…) opinion on a horse I’m looking at. I started riding this boy about a month and a half ago for my horsemanship class, and I’ve absolutely fallen in love with him. He has the sweetest personality, and he’s an absolute pleasure to ride. My college is willing to sell him to me at the end of the semester, but they won’t let him go for anything less than $2,500. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t hesitate to make an offer, but I’m concerned about his feet. He is a 4 year old QH gelding, and already he has very deep splits in his front hooves. He has front shoes on, and is perfectly sound now, but I’m concerned that his feet could cost me a lot of money in the future. I don’t intend to do anything particularly difficult with him; I don’t see myself jumping him over 3’. I just want to make sure I make the right decision! Any and all comments are appreciated.

Thanks,
Laura

[IdahoRider]

Get a thorough PPE done and really listen to what the vet says would be my best advice. Be willing to walk away based on the results.
Sheilah

[jenm]

[QUOTE=IdahoRider;7434178]
Get a thorough PPE done and really listen to what the vet says would be my best advice. Be willing to walk away based on the results.
Sheilah[/QUOTE]

I second this and would also add to have a conversation with his farrier as well. If it seems like his feet will be manageable, perhaps you an use that to your advantage and make a counter offer.

[Alagirl]

I’d first talk to the farrier, then decide how to procede from there.

[lalalaura107]

Thank you everyone, I have my farrier coming to check him out for me next week. Someone recommended that I have x-rays done for navicular, any thoughts on that?

[alto]

[QUOTE=lalalaura107;7434257]
Someone recommended that I have x-rays done for navicular, any thoughts on that?[/QUOTE]
Yes, yes & yes!

[TheJenners]

Absolutely xray those feet, if nothing else to see what the cracks look like on the inside.

What has the school said about those feet? Obviously they are having his feet done if he has shoes. Do they use a different farrier than you?

[lalalaura107]

They haven’t said anything about his feet. He lives outside with 30 or so other horses, so sadly, I don’t think each individual horse gets much attention. I am using a different farrier than the school, as far as I’m aware.

[fordtraktor]

The good news is that if he is sound on them now, they are almost certainly cosmetic/manageable. Get a PPE done, to be safe, but really…would not be a big concern for me. I would take him home and start feeding him a proper well balanced diet and add something like Farrier’s Formula. keep the shoes on until the cracks grow out. Good luck.

[Laurierace]

I don’t know exactly what a horsemanship class is so I must ask, has he jumped? If he does not and is already having problems with his feet that doesn’t seem to bode well for jumping long term. If he is, are you comfortable if he maxes out at whatever level he is currently jumping? What sort of shows do you hope to do with him?

[lalalaura107]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7434470]
I don’t know exactly what a horsemanship class is so I must ask, has he jumped? If he does not and is already having problems with his feet that doesn’t seem to bode well for jumping long term. If he is, are you comfortable if he maxes out at whatever level he is currently jumping? What sort of shows do you hope to do with him?[/QUOTE]

I’m riding him Western right now. His last owner also rode him Western. I doubt that he’s ever jumped before. I’d like him to be able to event and maybe do some hunter/eq classes, but I don’t want to take it past 3’, maybe lower.

[Laurierace]

That sounds like a stretch for a QH with or without the feet.

[jen-s]

My Appendix had off/on cracks in his hooves. Diet and farrier change fixed it. BUT it wasn’t an overnight process and there were many times I didn’t know that I’d ever get them resolved. Luckily, he was always sound on them so I wasn’t too worried. Now, that’s just my own experience. I’d certainly PPE and consult with your farrier. And post PICS!

[clint]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7434598]
That sounds like a stretch for a QH with or without the feet.[/QUOTE]

I disagree. For a sane horse who is a pleasure to ride and has been ridden by the prospective buyer for 1.5 months, I think $2500 is a deal. If the OP has a vet and farrier check, and the feet can be managed, and the x-rays are okay, go for it.

[Laurierace]

So if she said she was looking for a 3ft eventer or HJ you would instantly think of a western trained QH with tiny feet?

[merrygoround]

I agree with a PPE., I agree that the price is absolutely right. If the splits and cracks do not go through to the white line, they are superficial. However the vet ( I hope, not all vets are foot smart)) and the farrier should be able to answer that.

And, some cracks are easily repairable and others are caused by unbalanced shoeing. So make sure your consulting farrier is a good one, Not all farriers can balance a foot properly

[goodhors]

Your big question to experienced Farrier, is “Are his hooves big enough to carry his body and stay sound?” This horse is ONLY 4yrs old, probably doesn’t have TONS of miles yet, so even too-small hooves are not hurting yet. Horse is NOT carrying his fully mature weight and won’t be until age 6yrs or so. Hooves have to be able to do that to keep him sound into older age. How does he go on dirt roads, pavement, things beyond soft arena footing? Ouchy, tentative? Might be signs to LISTEN to, showing thin soles, not able to manage weight on possibly small hooves over hard ground.

I also would get some X-rays on him, see if anything is hiding in those hooves to surprise you later. X-ray person SHOULD be using blocks to get hoof above the ground, markers like a dime, that show contrast, have a consistant size for comparison to hoof parts. I have seen a LOT of hoof x-rays, which show a all kinds of shadows, easily misread or leading to conclusions that are incorrect. Fault of bad technique. Get the Navicular bone done for sure, that is among the first things to “wear out” in small QH feet. See if horse ACTUALLY has any sole thickness, so you are not riding him on his bones. Very important to me, having thick soles, because I want a using horse who can last for years.

Good luck with the horse, but do reasonable precautions to prevent getting a pasture ornament (burden) that can live another 20+ years.

[EventingDreaming]

A few months ago I was sort of in the same spot as you are now- I was looking into a draft cross, not trained. His conformation apparently wasn’t spectacular for an eventing prospect, nor was just basically his size. He’s 17.1 but I don’t think hes particularly drafty… I had quite a few people to tell me to pass, but after 2 visits to the rescue, I just couldn’t get my mind off him. I even got offered my old lease horse who was a tried and true jumper, loved it and I already knew he could do it. Although I really wish I could have both, I chose my draft cross. Its been a very cold winter so as of now we are only doing a bit of walk trot stuff, trying to make it through winter. Who knows if he’ll be the eventer I want. Who knows if he’ll even like to canter or jump! But in the end that doesn’t really matter to me. I LOVE this horse. I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I have faith in him. I saw a saying recently- “Believe in your horses and they will learn to fly for you.” I believe in him, and I’m hoping he’ll fly for me. I guess the point of my ramble is-- If he doesn’t live up to my eventing expectations, I’ll do whatever he wants to do and I’ll be pretty happy doing it. Whether that’s dressage, trail riding, who knows! So i guess just ask yourself- If this cute little QH doesn’t end up being your 3ft jumper, or your any height jumper, will you be okay with that? Will you want to do what he wants to do? Will you be happy doing what he can/wants? Sometimes having a horse you absolutely adore is better than showing 3ft or what not. Maybe those cracks will only keep him flat sound. All I can say is if I had bought a different horse maybe i’d be jumping right now, or eventing this summer, But i got my big guy and I’m extremely happy. I love going to the barn and seeing him everyday and having those little “omg he picked up trot right away” moments that you can have with greenies. If you will truly be happy doing whatever may come your way with this horse then I say buy him. I can tell it would make you beyond happy!

Is it just me or am I not seeing the part about him having small feet…? I only see things about cracks. Also I completely disagree with the QH can’t jump 3ft thing (if that is what you meant.) I know plenty QH’s who exceed 3ft and do it marvelously.

[SnicklefritzG]

What will happen if you decide not to purchase the horse right away? Since he is a school horse, can we assume that he will stay in their regular program?

The best scenario for you would be to do the PPE and talk with the vet about the prognosis for the hoof cracks. If the vet and farrier say it’s not a big issue for what you want to do, then go for it. However, if you have any uncertainties, can you tell the school you are interested but would like to see how the cracks play out over another semester? Maybe in that time you could do some jumping and see how he handles it.

How long has the horse had these cracks?

[lalalaura107]

Wow, talk about inspirational! I’m so happy to hear that you went with the draft mix; it sounds like you two will make quite the pair! I absolutely feel the same way about this horse. He just makes me happy. He’s so affectionate and eager to learn. I would love to go back to jumping, but if he wants or needs something different, I would be glad to find his groove with him.